A convergent mixed-methods descriptive case study design was used for the research (Creswell & Plano Clarke, 2018), including the Inclusive Teaching Strategies Inventory – Student (ITSI-S) survey tool (Garownski et al., 2016) and focus group interviews. Following Trent University’s Research Ethics Board approval, two cohorts of learners enrolled in the 2022 and 2023 course offerings were invited to participate. Data collection was supported by a research assistant, and only de-identified data was shared with us after course and grading completion.

Findings

Thirty-nine learners completed the survey, and five focus groups were held with 12 learners participating in total.

Inclusive Teaching Strategies Inventory  – Student

An adapted version of the ITSI-S survey tool (Cronbach alpha 0.91) was administered online by the research assistant in 2022 and 2023 for a total of 39 survey participants who were included in our findings (Garownski et al., 2016). The average age of participants was 26 years old (ranging 17 to 43 years; SD 7.5). Nine participants reported having a documented disability and seven reported registering with the University’s Student Accommodation Services.  The tool includes 66 items that assess inclusivity of learner attitudes and inclusivity of instructor actions, with six subscales in each: accommodation, accessibility, course modification, inclusive lecture, classroom, and assessment. Fourteen items were included to capture the learners’ experiences in the classroom. The following table (Table 2) highlights some key results.

Table 2